System for automatically preventing railway-grade-crossing accidents



Dec. 16, 1930. M. E. M KEE 1,785,093

SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENTS Filed July 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 By MM A TTORNE Y5 Dec. 16, 1930. MCKEE SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY" PREVENTING RAILWAY GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENTS.

Filed July 30 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 711% $92 M A TTORNEYS M. E. M KEE Dec. 16, 1930.

SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENTS A 3 Sheets-Shet 3 Filed July 30, 1929 INVENTOR.

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Patented Dec. 16, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MARTINI]. MCKEE, F CINCINNATI, OHIO Application filed July 30, 1929; .Serial No. 382,191.

My invention relates to, accident preventing systems in which the approach of a railway train to a grade-crossing automatically closes gates or energizes some alarm which allows pedestrians, or those riding in vehicles, time to clear the crossing.

During recent years statistics have shown that there is a greater loss of life in gradecrossing accidents than from any other source of which statistics have been collected. This loss of life continues in spite of the fact that most railway companies provide gate crossings with watchmen who are employed to elevate and lower the gates. The human ele ment, however, occasionally relaxes in its vigilance, and then the people who are accustomed to expect the watchman to lower the gates are likely to cross the crossing without paying any attention to oncoming trains.

It is the object of my invention to provide a system in which the approach of a train to the crossing automatically energizes some warning signal, or sets in operation some mechanical device for barring passing over the crossing, so that the danger of lack of vigilance on the part of a crossing watchman is avoided. It is further my object to provide a cable system through which contacting members on the locomotive connected with a generator carried on the train energize the warning or blocking apparatus, thus avoiding the necessity of providing individual power plants for each crossing.

The above and other objects to which reference will he made in the ensuing disclosure I accomplish by that certain combination and arrangement of parts in a system of which I shall explain several modifications.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the approach to a crossing equipped with my preferred accident preventing system.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the locomotive.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of one type of gate which I may employ in my system.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another arrangement of gates and mechanism for operating same.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of still another arrangement of gates with the mechanism for operating same.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the arrangement shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a wiring diagram showing a preferred system for energizing the warning bell a short interval prior to the closing of the gates.

I have shown a railway track 1 with the roadway 2 forming a grade-crossing with the track. A locoi'notivefi is shown, and for purposes of illustration, one of the locomotive wheels l is indicated mechanically connected so as to rotate a generator 5. From the generator 5 wires 6 connect with wiping 'ele ments 7, such as trolleys, which, as the locomotive approaches the crossing, slidingly engage ti e electric cables 8'or trolley wires, and thus providecurrent for operating the motors and the apparatus which-will be hereinafter described.v V v In Figure 7 I have diagrammatically shown an alarm hell 9 in series with a small motor 10. When the locomotive approaches the crossing and the wipers engage the cables, current passes through the wires 8 and cause the bell to be energized, and also closes the circuit to the small motor 10. By means of suitable reduction gearing 11 a disc 12, having an arcuate segment 12a of conductive materia'lon it, is started rotating. As soon as the arcuate conductivepiece reaches a certain position, which will be timed so that the bell will ring a desired interval before the gates are closed, a connection is established between the connectors 13, 13a of the switch.

Current will then pass through the wires 14, 14a to the electric motor 15 which actuates the gate elevating apparatus.

Referring first to Figure 3, I have shown the motor 15 with a rack and pinion connection 16 which drives the racks 17. Gear segments 18 mounted on shafts 19 rock the gates 20 on horizontal pivots'so that they move down into countersunk openings 21 in the crossing bed and the vehicles may then pass over a smoothsurface.

In Figure 4; the gates 20a are of the hal gate type swinging on vertical pivots from closed to open positions. In this case the motor 15, through suitable gearing 22, rtates a shaft 23 which carries worm pinions 24 which engage worm wheels 25 on vertical shafts 26 on which the gates are mounted. A

{E'bar 27 extends across from an eccentric position on one worm wheel to the driving wheel 28 of the gate on the side opposite that where the motor is located.

In Figures and 6 the motor through 10 suitable gearing 29, rotates a drive shaft 30. The drive shaft has bevel pinions 31 so mounted thereon as to engage the bevel pinions 32 of the horizontal shafts 33. The shafts 33 through rack and pinion connec- 5 tions 34 elevate the gates vertically.

In each instance the operation of the system will be the same. The oncoming locomotive first rings the bell, and a short interval thereafter the gates will be closed, as will 20 be ap Jarent from the foregoing description. While there is, of course, the chance that some person may carelessly fail to observe the warning signal and thus be caught by the gates, the danger of such occurrence is much less than the danger caused by a careless watchman.

The gates will preferably be so weighted that after the locomotive has passed the weights will cause the gates to return to open position.

By the use of my system, which is entirely automatic, and which does not require the services of a watchman, railway companies may equip all their grade-crossings with auto- 35 matically operative gates at a very low cost.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A system for automatically preventing 4o grade-crossing accidents comprising an electric generator carried by a train, road blocking means having an electric motor for actuating said means arranged at the gradecrossing, and electrically conductive trolley Wires extending along the track a suitable distance from the crossing and establishing connections with said motor, and trolleys carried by the locomotive for causing current to flow from said generator to said motor, an alarm arranged at the crossing, and means electrically connected with said alarm for closing a circuit from said generator to said motor after a predetermined interval.

2'. A. grade crossing closing gate system comprising a train carried so rce of current,

a trackside signal, a closing gate with electrically operative means therefor, and electrically operative means in series with said trackside signal for closing the circuit to said closing gate operating means a predetermined interval after the energizing of said trackside signal.

MARTIN E. MoKEE. 

